An Arctic outbreak will continue over the Plains into the eastern US this weekend with temperatures 30 degrees or more below normal. The coldest temperatures with dangerous wind chills will occur over the northern Plains into the Midwest and Great Lakes. The strong winter storm will exit the Great Lakes today with heavy snow winding down, but lake effect snow will continue through the weekend. Heavy rain is also expected today across eastern New England. After this storm moves through, dry conditions overall are forecast from the Plains to the East Coast through mid-next week, with the cold temperatures moderating next week. Showers and thunderstorms are likely to return to portions of the southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley late next week. An active weather pattern will continue in the Pacific Northwest into the northern Rockies the next week. Heavy mixed precipitation is forecast in the lower elevations of the Northwest today with heavy snow in the mountains. Snow levels will rise this weekend with periods of moderate to heavy rain in the valleys of the Northwest and northern Rockies and heavy snow in the mountains. Much of California, the central and southern Great Basin will remain dry into early next week before the storm track shifts southward. Valley rain with high elevation snow will spread across much of California, the Great Basin, and greater Four Corners area mid to late next week. Lighter precipitation is forecast for the Southwest late next week, with portions of southeast California, southern Arizona, and southern New Mexico likely remaining dry. http://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/outlooks/outlooks.htm